The NAW Large Company Operations Roundtable for direct members was created as a new mechanism for the Operations executive of large distribution enterprises to network with non-competing peers in multiple lines of trade on key operations issues.

This by invitation roundtable is composed of executives from large companies that meet in Chicago two times per year and is highly interactive. The annual fee is $1,500 per member, which covers meeting costs for two events in a twelve month cycle. Participants are expected to cover the cost of their hotel and travel. Once the annual fee is paid, there are no additional fees to attend the meetings, which will last one day beginning with a reception and dinner the evening before.

The participating companies can also name a senior level alternate who can take the place of the operations executive, should that person be unable to attend the scheduled meeting.

If you would like to learn more, please contact Tara Mostatab at 202.263.4080 or tmostatab@naw.org.

Eligibility: Companies with $100M to $1B annual revenue.
The NAW Large Company Roundtable is the only opportunity that provides networking and benchmarking exclusively with other top executives of non competing, like-sized Wholesale-Distribution companies.

NAW Large Company Operations Roundtable Agenda

Day 1 - April 30, 2019

Profitability depends on efficient inventory management and order fulfillment operations. Transportation costs can affect these key elements. In many cases, freight costs can eat into margins that are already being squeezed by general market forces. At this joint session, you’ll learn how your peers are pursuing freight cost recovery. You’ll also hear best practices on freight cost recovery from an industry expert.

4:30 PM – 6:00 PM
Break

6:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Reception – Drinks & Dialogue

Come prepared to meet and mingle with your fellow participants from the largest firms in the industry.

7:00 PM – 9:30 PMLarge Company Executive Dinner

Make sure to reserve your seat for the most exclusive executive supper club in Chicago this evening! This dinner is your opportunity to pick the brains of the senior executives for the top wholesale distribution companies in the industry.

Day 2 - May 1, 2019

7:00 AM – 7:45 AM
Breakfast

8:00 AM – 9:30 AMGeneral Session

The Best Way to Grow Your Workforce

Hiring and retaining warehouse employees and drivers remains to be a top priority for many operation executives in distribution. Many use retention and loyalty programs to help keep talent. When it comes to hiring talent, some operation executives have turned to staff agencies to help fill positions. Staffing agencies can fill a job opening quickly and will do most of the heavy lifting such as interviewing candidates and following up on background checks. It also gives you the opportunity to try the candidate out before committing to employment. However, when using a third party to fill opening positions, performance issues can be harder to address and finding a candidate who fits into your company’s culture can be difficult.

At this session, you’ll:

Explore when using a staffing agency is appropriate

Evaluate the pros and cons of using a third party to help hire employees

Learn best practices in recruiting and retaining warehouse employees and drivers, especially millennials

9:30 AM – 9:45 AM
Break

9:45 AM – 11:00 AMGeneral Session & Discussion

E-Commerce Distribution Challenges: A Peer to Peer Discussion

The transition to e-commerce distribution can be painful and frustrating. Moving from pallets to eaches, deciding which products to sell online, and strategizing how to handle Amazon are just some of the growing pains facing operation executives in wholesale distribution. Come ready to hear how your peers are handing their e-commerce challenges. You’ll leave this session with helpful tools on how to move forward with your e-commerce platform.

11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Open Discussion

This session is set aside for you to raise any issue you would like and have the group provide their thoughts. This is an open forum to further discuss any item on the agenda or to bring up topics that are not on the agenda. Make sure to take notes during this session; you may find a perfect topic to suggest for the next NAW Roundtable.

This is the “halftime” period where you meet up with all of the Large Company senior executives at this week’s Roundtable to compare ideas and benchmark across disciplines. Both the CFO and Operations executives will attend this joint lunch.

1:00 PM – 2:00 PMClosing Session & Discussion

The LEAN Practitioner

Lean practitioners can provide additional support for your organization’s lean deployment. They can deliver improvement projects and support your leadership team towards lean behaviors. At this session, you’ll

explore lean improvement methodologies, tools, and techniques

learn facilitation skills

understand the role of a lean practitioner

2:00 PM – 2:30 PM
Set Agenda for Next Meeting Scheduled for November 5-6, 2019